Four Abu Sayyaf rebels were killed and six wounded in gunbattles after troops caught up with the kidnap gang holding 23 hostages on a southern island, the military said Wednesday.
The running firefights lasted for five hours in the fringes of a jungle area called Sampinit complex in central Basilan, the military's southern command said.
One soldier was wounded in the fighting, military spokesman Brigadier General Edilberto Adan said in Manila. There was no indication if any of the 23 American and Filipino hostages were caught in the crossfire.
In the Basilan island capital of Isabela, police shot and killed another Abu Sayyaf rebel identified as Mustallah Amin on Wednesday, Superintendent Akhmadul Pangambayan said.
"Our operation is ongoing against all infiltrators here in Isabela," he said.
The rebels and their captives were now believed hiding out in a village called Masula outside the capital, Adan said -- ISABELA, Philippines (AFP)
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